Starbucks ties up with UberEats to offer deliveries in Tokyo

The coffee chain is planning to offer delivery of coffee and food in Tokyo

The move by Starbucks is aimed at boosting sales in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - In a bid to enhance its operations in one of its major Asia Pacific markets - Japan, the world's largest coffee chain, Starbucks has partnered with UberEats.

The coffee chain has stated that its partnership is aimed at offering delivery of coffee and food in Tokyo and the service is set to become operational on Friday.

Unveiling its partnership, Starbucks has said that it delivery program with UberEats would be available in two of its stores in Tokyo's Shinjuku and at one of its stores in the city's Roppongi area.

Further, Starbucks has announced plans to open 100 new outlets in Japan every year over the next few years.

The coffee giant is hoping to reach a store count of 1,700 by the end of 2021, through its plan.

Making the announcement on Thursday, Starbucks president and CEO Kevin Johnson said, “The strength of our brand in Japan, the momentum in our business, and the spirit of our partners who proudly wear the green apron give me great confidence in our ability to elevate the customer experience and drive growth to continue to build our brand. We continue to thoughtfully evolve within Japan’s elevated coffee culture to maintain a leadership position and achieve profitable growth for the long-term.”

As part of its further expansion in Japan, Starbucks has stated that it will collaborate with social media platform LINE on technologies, including digital payments.

Starbucks has stated that it will launch the first phase during the first half of next year to serve more than 78 million Line users by providing access to Starbucks.

Meanwhile, Starbucks Japan CEO Takafumi Minaguchi said in a statement, “Starbucks Japan was built as a performance-driven company, guided through the lens of humanity, from the time of our first store opening in Tokyo in 1996. We continue to set the pace for innovation and service for Starbucks globally by focusing on creating a genuine human connection in our stores and positively impacting the communities we serve.”

The Seattle-based company has been exploring newer avenues aimed at boosting sales as it faces intense competition in the U.S. and China.

Earlier this year, in a bid to expand in Chinese cities, Starbucks tied up with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The move by Starbucks came after regulators in China launched a crackdown on third-party delivery services in the U.S.